Adnan Syed: Guilty Case Study

Adnan Syed was falsely accused of the horrific murder of Hae Min Lee in 1999. Hae’s body was discovered at Leakin Park, Baltimore. Adnan’s friend, Jay Wilds, told the police Adnan killed Hae and he helped him bury the body. With very little confirmed evidence, Adnan was convicted of her murder. The state used Jay’s testimony and cell phone records to build a case against him. Adnan Syed is innocent because Jay’s version of the story constantly changes, the timeline of the murder isn’t possible, and the cell phone records are not feasible. Jay’s version of events constantly changes and is not reliable. In his first interview, he tells police he first saw Hae’s body at the strip mall in Edmondson. However, in his second interview, he states he

The sight of seeing a dead body is nearly impossible to forget. How can someone mix up a detail that is important? This evidence suggests that the state’s main piece of evidence against Adnan is faulty and can not be relied upon. Another major piece of evidence that does not make sense is the state’s timeline. There was a 21 minute window that Adnan was unaccounted for. There is a very slim chance that Adnan got out of school at 2:15 p.m., stopped by the concession stand at school, waited on the buses, drove the 4-minute drive to Best Buy, and strangled Hae by 2:36. Sarah says, “this timeline could work, but it is very unlikely because it leaves Adnan with a minute and a half window to kill Hae” (Koenig Episode 5). It seems nearly impossible that Adnan strangled and put Hae’s body in the trunk in just under 2 minutes. The state’s timeline gives no room for mistakes or errors, and ultimately just wouldn’t have worked. Lastly, the cell phone records in this case are not accurate. The state’s timeline is based on the 2:36 call they believe Adnan made from the Best Buy pay phone telling Jay to come help him bury the